[This is a superhero setting based on the DC universe, basically changed so that the player-characters could shine. It's good for covert-ops, relatively "noir" stories, mystical investigations (see Mystic Storm, below) and high powered, action-filled sequences. There's a strong theme of loss over vanished heroes, but also of hope, mostly centered on the player characters. Here are a few ideas I've compiled so far about the setting, presented as media news items. Ideas are welcome. The reason for the heroes disappearing is not given. An excellent campaign-ender would be to find a way to bring all the vanished heroes back, although my initial intent was to make a sand-box environment with new stories]

A Decade Ago...

The Possibility Plague occurred a decade ago, but its effects will probably be felt for centuries. The unexplained phenomenon saw the disappearance of every metahuman, alien and mystic on Earth. Heroes, villains, innocents with barely any power at all - they all vanished without a trace, never to return. The vast majority of remaining heroes and villains are either trained masters of combat,technological geniuses or both. It took weeks for the plague to die out, apparently. Once it did, new metahumans of all kinds started to pop up. Those that vanished never came back, however, and their fate may remain a mystery forever.

Invasion Inverted

A few days into the Possibility Plague incident an unknown alien race invaded the Earth. Massive spacecraft in orbit, they fired only a few energy blasts into the atmosphere before vanishing. Their ships are still there, sometimes seen on clear nights. Earth forces have so far proved unable to overcome their defense systems, and a U.N.-brokered agreement prevents any further attempts. The event was later followed by the Green Lantern interdict (see below).

Magmar: A New Threat

One of the recent metahumans to appear, Magmar is a serious threat currently limiting himself to relatively petty criminal activities. He can usually be found spearheading Intergang operations in Metropolis, with law enforcement helpless against his extreme powers. Nothing is known about his past. He seems to be a giant man composed of black stone, with an inferno of fiery lava boiling under his skin. He is extremely resilient and powerful, able to unleash fiery blasts and stun enemies with heat and smoke.

Batman - Batmen?

Following the Possibility Plague Batman vanished, only to reappear later - in several locations. Most pundits believe that the original Batman has recruited several crime fighters across the United States, although several underworld figures seem to believe that it is, in fact, the same man - if it's a man at all.

Green Arrow, Bloody Revenge

Green Arrow seems to have become much more aggressive since the disappearance of his metahuman allies. He's been targeting Lexcorp projects, and there has been a drive recently to capture him. Several Drone-Clones (see below) sent to apprehend him were found destroyed a few weeks ago, causing a major scandal and prompting the government to (once again) ban all DC use on U.S. soil.

Attack of the Drone-Clones (a.k.a DC hunters, hunters)

The DC's (officially named HUNTER - HUman-kryptonian Networked Tactical intERface) are a recent addition to the U.S. and U.N. armed forces - cyborg soldiers cloned using human-kryptonian DNA. Due to public outcry they are used very rarely, and so far never on U.S. soil. They have been developed by the U.S. Department of Defense in a joint effort with LexCorp. A few DC's almost brought down the project recently.

The Spirit Storm

Mystics and wizards coming into their powers following the Possibility Plague have to face the Spirit Storm - a much more hostile and dangerous mystic plane surrounding the Earth. Most paranormal experts believe that the plague caused a massive mystic imbalance, shattering the prisons of long-banished dark spirits and trapping spirits of the dead (and damned) in our world.

Atlantis Abandoned

The city of Atlantis is now an empty husk, raided by world governments and left empty. The monsters of the deep seas, angered by the plague, are now a global danger. Several popular video segments exist, showing battles between DCs and kraken-like monstrosities attacking oil rigs.

Earth Interdicted

Following the plague the Green Lanterns have declared the solar system a forbidden zone. Most alien forces seem to respect the guardian's interdiction of Earth, and alien infiltrations have been few and far between. This cosmic event doesn't concern the vast majority of people, although it is public knowledge. Only UFO enthusiasts - and mostly likely government agencies - seem to be interested.

Lex Luthor, Repentant

Lex Luthor, in an extremely popular series of interviews to Lois Lane following the plague, appeared a changed man. Abandoning his anti-metahuman schemes, he devotes himself to his corporation and development projects.

Melissa is a young, ambitious journalist for the Daily Planet who has been described in the past as a "good natured backstabber". Life, to her, is sort of like a game of munchkin. When non-villains get hurt she backs off and apologizes, though, assuming that others see life that way as well. She is meant to represent a slightly more aggressive version of Lois Lane, fighting corruption and uncovering dastardly plots. She's in her mid 20s, physically resembling actress Kate Mara.

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Stein is a young, genius, deluded musician and scientist. Left to himself he composes electronic music and builds music-related gadgets that fall apart after a while. With enough resources, though, his fascination with electronics and robotics can produce terrifying creations. His "dubtech" gadgets - as originally nicknamed by Daily Planet reporter Melissa Mercer - are mostly segmented, black and made of composite materials. Between the segments there are neon-like light sources which shimmer when active. His devices play various dubstep tracks when activated, although this is probably not directly related to their effect.

Joseph himself is harmless. He is only dangerous when recruited by villains to supply them with his nasty weapons and armor. His most famous creations are the black, flying, super powered "dubbots".

Dubbots are humanoid, black, segmented robots. Their heads resemble motorcycle helmets. They emit dubstep music when hit, when punching or when flying (different tracks for each). They have been known to tear open their chestplate and unleash various sonic blasts from their dubstep generators, although this should be treated as a complication for heroes. Without Joseph's tinkering they usually shut down after a couple of weeks.

The angel Azrael, gatherer of lost souls, has been given the task of returning souls trapped on earth to the spirit worlds. Unable to return to heaven himself, he takes souls to a special waystation dimension, where they can shed their earthly troubles and move on.

The waystation can be reached through places of travel, where the destination cannot be sensed. Elevators, taxis, subway trains, even flying through clouds - all can be used by the angel Azrael (perhaps by others as well) to reach the waystation.

The place looks different every time, but there's always some sort of journey involved for the souls brought up. For now the waystation resembles a high cliff over a misty ravine. Souls climb upwards, transforming into birds when reaching the top and flying away to their final destinations.

Azrael met an old soul there, an old man caught in mid-transformation, worried about his living son and unable to move on. The angel returned to earth in order to look after the son, one Joseph Stein, and encountered the other heroes while dealing with the young inventor's dangerous tech.